This invention relates to a means for coupling the power take-off of a riding mower to a mower deck.
Some riding mower tractors of the lawn and garden variety include a power take-off in-belt communication with a mower deck. It is customary to include a positionable spindle on the mower deck. A linkage system between the operator's station and the positionable spindle governers the spindle position. During the manufacturing process slight variations between vehicles may cause some misalignment problems in the mating of the linkage system to the positionable spindle. The misalignment can be aggravated should the vehicle include a mower interlock switch which is activated by the linkage system and which constitutes a linkage position adjustment constraint. The interlock switch communicates with other vehicle electrical components such that should the operator remove himself from the operator's seat while the power take-off is in the engaged position, the switch will cause the vehicle engine to stop.
Further, as results of prolonged use wear changes the belt drive characteristics between the vehicle's power take-off and the drive spindle on the mower deck effecting the engaging position of the positionable spindle will change over time. This position change will effect the linkage system such that misalignment may develop between the interlock switch and the linkage system causing the switch to become nonfunctional.